Measuring the effects of demand characteristics on the Beck Depression Inventory responses of college students

To determine whether Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) responses could be influenced by an instructional set or by changing the item order, 198 college students were randomly assigned to one of four conditions: instructions designed to facilitate or inhibit responding, along with standard vs. reordered symptom questions. A 2×2 ANCOVA found a main effect only for the inhibitory message. The suppression of scores by the inhibitor instructional set suggests caution regarding possible demand characteristics when using the BDI with this population and should be further studied with clinically symptomatic samples.     

The technical drift of applied behavior analysis

Four dimensions (applied, analytic, general, conceptual) were selected from Baer, Wolf, and Risley's (1968) seminal article on the nature of applied behavior analysis and were monitored throughout the first 10 volumes of the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis. Each of the experimental articles in Volumes 1 through 6 and the first half of Volumes 7 through 10 was rated on each of these dimensions. The trends showed that applied behavior analysis is becoming a more purely technical effort, with less interest in conceptual questions. We are using simpler experimental designs and are conducting fewer analogue studies. Although concern for maintenance is increasing, other forms of generality are being measured or analyzed less often. These trends are discussed in terms of a technical drift in applied behavior analysis.     

Varieties of cognitive penetration in visual perception

Is our perceptual experience a veridical representation of the world or is it a product of our beliefs and past experiences? Cognitive penetration describes the influence of higher level cognitive factors on perceptual experience and has been a debated topic in philosophy of mind and cognitive science. Here, we focus on visual perception, particularly early vision, and how it is affected by contextual expectations and memorized cognitive contents. We argue for cognitive penetration based on recent empirical evidence demonstrating contextual and top-down influences on early visual processes. On the basis of a perceptual model, we propose different types of cognitive penetration depending on the processing level on which the penetration happens and depending on where the penetrating influence comes from. Our proposal has two consequences: (1) the traditional controversy on whether cognitive penetration occurs or not is ill posed, and (2) a clear-cut perception–cognition boundary cannot be maintained.     

Intensity and memory characteristics of near-death experiences

Memories of Near-Death Experiences (NDEs) seem to be very detailed and stable over time. At present, there is still no satisfactory explanation for the NDEs’ rich phenomenology. Here we compared phenomenological characteristics of NDE memories with the reported experience’s intensity. We included 152 individuals with a self-reported “classical” NDE (i.e. occurring in life-threatening conditions). All participants completed a mailed questionnaire that included a measure of phenomenological characteristics of memories (the Memory Characteristics Questionnaire; MCQ) and a measure of NDE’s intensity (the Greyson NDE scale). Greyson NDE scale total score was positively correlated with MCQ total score, suggesting that participants who described more intense NDEs also reported more phenomenological memory characteristics of NDE. Using MCQ items, our study also showed that NDE’s intensity is associated in particular with sensory details, personal importance and reactivation frequency variables.     

绩效评价的若干问题

通过对绩效的内涵、绩效评价标准的确定、评量指标体系的构建以及多样性评量指标的整合意义与方法等四个绩效评价的最基本问题进行反思 ,提出如下观点 :(1 )对绩效进行考量时必须同时考虑时间、方式和结果三个维度。 (2 )绩效评价标准的确定应先于具体评量指标的选择 ,且应保持一定的稳定性 ,不可随意增删 ;(3 )评量指标体系的构建应本着贵精不贵多、贵明确不贵模糊、贵敏感不贵迟钝 ,贵关键不贵空泛的原则进行 ;(4)多样性评量指标是否整合需根据具体的需要而定 ,整合时要考虑评量指标本身的权重差异以及不同评价者由于对标准尺度掌握的松紧不一和评判角度不同所带来的对最终评价结果的影响。     

新手-熟手-专家型教师成就目标定向与人格特征的研究

本研究采用量表法考察三种类型教师成就目标定向与人格特征的特点。结果表明 ,与普通成人相比 ,我国中学教师比较外倾 ,精神质水平更高。三种类型教师在任务目标上存在显著性差异 ,新手型教师的任务目标水平显著低于熟手型教师 ;而在成绩目标上 ,不存在显著性差异。新手型教师在精神质维度上与熟手型教师存在显著性差异 ,其精神质水平显著低于熟手型教师 ,熟手型教师在神经质维度上与专家型教师存在显著性差异 ,其神经质水平显著低于专家型教师 ,神经质水平高是专家型教师典型的人格特征。     

元分析的特点、方法及其应用的现状分析

元分析是心理、教育及其他科学领域内新近出现的一种重要研究方法,它主要是借助统计方法,对针对同一问题的大量研究结果进行综合分析与评价,从而概括出其研究结果所反映的共同效应,即普遍性的结论。但这种方法在目前国内心理与教育研究中仍不多见。本文首先将通过与其他整合研究结果的分析方法的比较,归纳出元分析的主要特点及其局限性,其次本文着重介绍目前应用较为广泛的三种重要的元分析方法,并对三种方法作出比较分析;最后本文还将对元分析技术在国内心理学研究中的应用现状作分析与评价。     

Impact of School Psychological Environment Variables on Happiness of Korean Youths

Abstract: This study analyzed the structural relationships between school‐related psychological variables (teacher support, learning flow, friendship) and the happiness of Korean youths, and compared structural equation models for middle and high schools. Questionnaire data were collected from students in middle and high schools in 10 cities and provinces of Korea. The final data set from 870 students was analyzed with Amos 20.0. Goodness of fit indices for the hypothetical model were good, and all paths were significant. That is, a model incorporating indirect and direct impact of school‐related psychological environment variables, such as teacher support, learning flow, and friendship, on the happiness of Korean youths is valid. Second, structural equation models for middle and high schools demonstrated significant differences. Therefore, different types of assistance are needed to increase the happiness of students in middle schools and high schools.     

Workplace Perceptions of Veterans and Nonveterans in the Department of Veterans Affairs

Much has been written about veterans and their reintegration into civilian society, but little or no information is available about veterans’ workplace perceptions and how these might differ from those of nonveterans. The authors compared veterans’ and nonveterans’ attitudes about work (including job satisfaction aspects, perceptions of coworker interactions, supervisory support, and others) in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) based on responses to the organizational census, VA All Employee Survey (AES; N = 179,271). Based on differences in crude (unadjusted, but controlling for location) item odds ratios (range 0.65–1.08), compared to nonveterans, veterans scored modestly lower on most AES items. The authors show how controlling for demographics changes the relative size and, in some cases, the direction of the differences. This current study is 1 of only 2, to our knowledge, large-scale assessments of veterans’ workplace perceptions and the only 1 which controlled the results for demographic characteristics.